"The court has been informed that defendant Charles McGonigal may wish to enter a change of plea," Manhattan federal Judge Jennifer Rearden wrote in a brief order filed Monday, scheduling a hearing for Aug. 15.

McGonigal, 54, — a former top FBI counterintelligence agent based in New York — was indicted in January on charges including money laundering and violating US sanctions by working for Russian billionaire and business magnate Oleg Deripaska, including trying to get him taken off of the US sanctions list.

McGonigal was a key figure in the FBI's contentious investigation into "Russiagate" involving former President Donald Trump. This investigation eventually resulted in the appointment of Robert Mueller as a special counsel to examine potential Russian interference in the 2016 election. The Special Counsel's report, made public in April 2019, examined numerous contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian officials but concluded that there was insufficient evidence to bring any conspiracy or coordination charges against Trump or his associates. It is an article of faith for leftists that Trump and Putin colluded on the 2016 election to bring about the defeat of Democrat Hillary Clinton.